Life in a tropical anchorage

Hi,

So we are still in Tahiti, and all is well.  We've been provisioning like crazy - scary cause the cost of things here, and soon will water up and get fuel.  We are going to leave Tahiti the beginning of next week - if the weather cooperates.

Last weekend we had a big storm here, with sustained winds over 30 knots and big swells that made life in the anchorage very interesting.  Lots of boats dragged their anchors - not us thank god - but even if we didn't move plenty of boats did, and some came real close to us.  Some boats tried to mate, and some were damaged.  Many structures and resorts on shore were extensively damaged - but the big swells were good news for the surfing competition on the south side of the island.

Internet is still unreliable - welcome to the rest of the world I guess.  Last time I was abroad for a long time there was no such animal as the world wide web, so I guess I can't complain.

News from home is mostly passed down like wispy rumors.  Even the BBC is hard to get in, and as I don't speak French - the local radio does us no good.

I've got a couple pictures.

This is the view from our boat.  The island is Moorea, across the reef and about 15 miles away.

Tamsyn and Emma from S/V Gruffalo playing on Madrona yesterday. 

Our favorite beach in Anaho Bay on Nuku Hiva.

When it rained in Anaho Bay - a dry cliff face suddenly sports a roaring 600 foot high waterfall.

That's all the pics for now.  Like I mentioned - the camera is less than reliable at the moment.  So there is a high-pressure system building to our west, and we hope to be sailing west by Monday at the latest.  We will probably make one or two stops in the Society Islands, then maybe one stop in the Cook Islands - probably Palmerston Island, then on to Tonga.  Tonga is largely unspoiled, and has lots of places to explore and be in.  We'd rather be there than the commercialized Society Islands.

The other cruisers here are a great bunch, but the daily happy-hour thing is not our thing at all, and as much as we like some of the other families, we are looking forward to seeing new things and playing on the beaches again.

I'm going to add some additional insulation to the refrigerator tomorrow, and Carrie is sewing our new rain catcher tomorrow.  Friday I pick-up our last propane bottle ($35.00 for 17kg!), and I hope to get some teak lumber at the lumberyard to ultimately make some larger lips on our forward hatch.

So all is well.  Anxious to get moving, but still crossing our T's and dotting our I's.

Owen

Tahiti

We are in Tahiti - and it is very beautiful.

We got in a few days ago, but as usual, it has taken a while to get internet.  We had a great passage from Nuku Hiva, excepting the fact that the wind totally disappeared the last couple of days.  It was so still day we arrived, that we motored the last 15 miles.

We are at anchor near, but not in, the capitol city.  Threading our way through the reef strewn channel to our anchorage was fun, as it happened late in the day.  We are still taking in Tahiti - but at first impression, it is nothing like where we have been, and more like Seattle, or at least Vashon :-)

Lots of other boats here - many of which we know.  And for the first time - our "To Do" list is not arm length long.  We're going to reprovision, I'll work on contracts, and we'll figure out where we want to go from here.

We will try and post some pictures soon.  Our good camera is on the fritz, and so not always working.  We may buy a cheap digital camera to help out on that front.  The kids are well.  School is getting more vigorous and regular.

Tamyn's No-no bites are fading finally.  Many of you have wondered why one can't swim when having open No-no bites.  Apparently it is very easy to get Staph infections from open bites if one swims in these warm waters.

It is good to hear from all of you that have written notes and comments.  They mean a lot to us.  More soon.  Our internet time is almost out.

Owen, Carrie, Tamsyn & Griffyn

Running Southwest under rainy skies

So... we made it through the Tuamotus just fine, and now we are running towards Tahiti with thunderstorms all around us, and biggish seas - which is making for a rocky ride. Only 122 miles to the island, but we want to arrive there in the morning - so we are in no huge hurry to put on more speed, which would then cause us to arrive outside the reef at night.

Next we have to sort out just how exactly we will "pull off" a Mediterranean style mooring with our Double-ender boat?

S 16 07.510
W 147 48.205

Owen

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Coming up on our last turn - then out of the Tuamotus

Just a quick update. We are coming up on our last turn in 10 miles, and once made, we will transit a narrow pass, and then be out of the Tuamotus. Wind has been light to moderate, and the swells big. Kids watching a movie, Carrie reading, and I just had a nap in preparation for our passage tonight.

All is well. Thanks for the letter Wendy! Its so cool watching Griffyn get the reading thing.

S 15 01.501
W 146 50.392

Owen

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Entering the Tuamotu's

In a few hours we will be entering the Tuamotu Island group. Our run through these island will take the next day. First this evening we will be passing between Manihi (where a sailmail relay station exists) to the west, and Takaroa and Takaputo to our east. Then around midnight we'll turn more westward, and ride downwind to line-up for our southerly run between Rangiroa and Arutua - a pass only 20 miles wide.

Griffyn did excellent with reading today, and Tamsyn spent much of the morning working on world history timelines. So all is well. It is a very hot day, so we hope the heating as we move southward doe not go on indefinitely. Cheers,

Owen

S 13 58.70
W 144 57.91

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A letter to grandma J. from Tamsyn

Dear Grandma Jean,

I have been making cat and wolf people. My dad taught me and Griffyn a game about two armies. They both live on a cliff. A cat scientist had an idea he had never had before. He figured out how to make helicopters. They look like this (non-sailmail compatible diagram). Well, there was a big rock like a bridge. It looked like this (another diagram of an arched bridge). Soon the wolf people found out how to make helicopters too.

Then a wolf scientist found out how to make planes! They looked like this (diagram of paper airplane shaped like dart). But I am still making them so I don't know how it ends, but I will write to you when it does end! Please respond. Thank you.

Love Tamsyn!

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Honey... Have you seen the wind?

Just a quick update.

Our nice start to the passage slowed with two days of 4-5 knot winds. We're plugging away and the winds have risen to 8-10 knots, with a forecast of better winds for th next week - starting tomorrow. Otherwise this has been a delightful passage so far.

Our position is S 12 38.77, W 144 03.73

Owen

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On the way to Tahiti

We left Nuku Hiva yesterday, which was hard to do, as it is a fabulous island full of so many good memories for us After one false start (stuck transmission fluid pressure valve) we got off yesterday afternoon, and we've had a god passage in the lst 29 hours - covering 160 miles. Winds are calming now as night falls, so we will see what tomorrow brings.

Our 752 mile passage includes a transit of the Tuamotu Island chain, also know as the "Dangerous Islands". The pass we will take between the reefs is 20 miles wide at the narrowest point. The moon will be full the day before we start that section of th journey. We'll also be checking out the radar, an checking over the engine before we begin that section of the trip.

Was fishing today and got a big one on. I had a 6 inch silver lure with three sets of hooks on it - because it looked like a flying fish - and the fish that hit the lure demolished it, stripping it of two sets of hooks. Needless to say, I have upgraded the tackle and hook size. tomorrow there will be a rematch.

The family is well. We are closer to each other than we have ever been before - a big part of the idea behind this voyage. Griffyn is just starting to learn to read - which is a really big deal for us. We are all actually quite happy to be on passage again.

Looking at three bright stars in a line last night I thought to myself, "geee, those look like the belt stars in Orion, only they are the wrong way around, I wonder what they are." A few minutes later when the clouds moved away and I could see the whole picture I saw Orion revealed - completely upside down! Oh yeah, southern hemisphere.

And here's one for Sally at the FAC in Edmonds. What I swore would never happen has happened. I'm reading Harry Potter.

Anyway... update in a few days.

Owen

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The Waterfalls and Bugbites by Tamsyn

Dear John Caddy,

I have a lot of bug bites. 80% of them are mosquito bites. 20% are Nono bites. I got 1/4 of them when we went to the third tallest waterfall in the world. I got 3/4 of them when we went to a plain old waterfall, (for nothing)! So far they are causing days of complaining, and the worst past of it is you can't go swimming, and we are at a coral reef! With Manta Rays and Bubbler crabs!

On the first hike, we had to cross two rivers. There was a third river but we couldn't get to the other side. But we saw an eel! It was camouflaged and swimming on the side of a rock. It tried to eat your son's foot. So we had to turn back. Well after, we ate the coconut we carried. We past a ruin, it was a stone wall. There were cairns everywhere.

Your grandson got to go to the beach yesterday. Lucky! And he is going today too! But little does he know me and mom (well she has bug bites too)we get to watch a movie.

Love,

from Tamsyn

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